DAVID Cameron has made a surprise visit to the RAF base in Cyprus from where British pilots are launching airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) militants.
The Prime Minister flew to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus last night as he announced the deployment of two more RAF Tornado bombers. The latest missions take the number of British fighter jets involved in the conflict to eight.
It was a week ago that MPs voted overwhelmingly to allow bombings in Iraq.
Mr Cameron said: "Less than a week into combat operations in Iraq, I wanted to come here to thank our troops for the vital work they are doing to defeat these barbaric Isil terrorists who threaten security not just in Iraq, Syria and the region but on the streets of Britain to.
"It is an opportunity to hear directly from them about their operations, the challenges they face and what support they need.
"They have already flown a dozen sorties and carried out strikes on four of those missions, successfully hitting eight targets and helping Iraqi forces hold territory but also push back Isil too.
"We want to make sure we can keep up this tempo in the days ahead so we will deploy a further two Tornados to Akrotiri in the next 24 hours."
The Prime Minister also revealed the RAF No 2 Squadron, comprising 16 Tornados, will no longer be disbanded next March as planned but will continue until 2016 to help with the fight against IS.
Based in Norfolk, the squadron was due to be disbanded as Britain withdraws from operations in Afghanistan and replaced by a new squadron of advanced Typhoon fighters based at RAF Lossiemouth in Moray.
Mr Cameron added: "Remember, Isil is not just a threat in Iraq and Syria. It is a threat to the streets of Britain and that is why we are here, that is why we are doing this. I wanted to come and thank the people at the sharp end."
Meanwhile, Turkey's parliament has approved a motion giving the government new powers to launch military incursions into Iraq and Syria and to allow foreign forces to use its territory for possible operations against IS.
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